Happy Easter

Happy Easter! The tomb is open, the Lord Jesus has passed through death. He is alive! Prayers for Feasts

Easy Easter Crafts

For those who have little ones like me or are planning on hosting little ones... Here are a few easy Easter crafts to keep little hand busy!

Paper plate Easter basket

Bunny Ears

Paper plate bunny mask

This picture has store bought bunny ears inside but craft paper ears glued inside work just as well!

White "eggs" can be decorated with tissue paper strips or watercolors/crayons/pencils


 



Holy Week Schedule

UPCOMING LENTEN & EASTER SCHEDULE 2013

March 28, 2013 Holy Thursday / NO Daily Mass
7pm Bilingual – Mass of the Lord’s Supper

March 29, 2013 Good Friday /NO Daily Mass

Note: Parish Office Closed 12pm 7 Last Words
2pm Via Crucis
3pm Liturgy - Veneration of the Cross – English
6pm Liturgy - Veneration of the Cross – Spanish

March 30, 2013 Holy Saturday / E-Vigil / NO Daily Mass

Note: Easter Vigil Mass @ 7:45pm

March 31, 2013 Easter Sunday

Mass Schedule as follows:
7am English Church
9am English Church
9:05am English WC or Family Life Center
11am English Church
11:05am English WC or Family Life Center
1:30pm Spanish Church
5pm English Church

Palm Sunday Pope Francis Homily

CELEBRATION OF PALM SUNDAY OF THE PASSION OF OUR LORD

HOMILY OF POPE FRANCIS

Saint Peter's SquareXXVIII World Youth Day
Sunday, 24 March 2013

[Video]

1. Jesus enters Jerusalem. The crowd of disciples accompanies him in festive mood, their garments are stretched out before him, there is talk of the miracles he has accomplished, and loud praises are heard: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Lk 19:38).

Crowds, celebrating, praise, blessing, peace: joy fills the air. Jesus has awakened great hopes, especially in the hearts of the simple, the humble, the poor, the forgotten, those who do not matter in the eyes of the world. He understands human sufferings, he has shown the face of God’s mercy, and he has bent down to heal body and soul.

This is Jesus. This is his heart which looks to all of us, to our sicknesses, to our sins. The love of Jesus is great. And thus he enters Jerusalem, with this love, and looks at us. It is a beautiful scene, full of light - the light of the love of Jesus, the love of his heart - of joy, of celebration.

At the beginning of Mass, we too repeated it. We waved our palms, our olive branches. We too welcomed Jesus; we too expressed our joy at accompanying him, at knowing him to be close, present in us and among us as a friend, a brother, and also as a King: that is, a shining beacon for our lives. Jesus is God, but he lowered himself to walk with us. He is our friend, our brother. He illumines our path here. And in this way we have welcomed him today. And here the first word that I wish to say to you: joy! Do not be men and women of sadness: a Christian can never be sad! Never give way to discouragement! Ours is not a joy born of having many possessions, but from having encountered a Person: Jesus, in our midst; it is born from knowing that with him we are never alone, even at difficult moments, even when our life’s journey comes up against problems and obstacles that seem insurmountable, and there are so many of them! And in this moment the enemy, the devil, comes, often disguised as an angel, and slyly speaks his word to us. Do not listen to him! Let us follow Jesus! We accompany, we follow Jesus, but above all we know that he accompanies us and carries us on his shoulders. This is our joy, this is the hope that we must bring to this world. Please do not let yourselves be robbed of hope! Do not let hope be stolen! The hope that Jesus gives us.

2. The second word. Why does Jesus enter Jerusalem? Or better: how does Jesus enter Jerusalem? The crowds acclaim him as King. And he does not deny it, he does not tell them to be silent (cf. Lk 19:39-40). But what kind of a King is Jesus? Let us take a look at him: he is riding on a donkey, he is not accompanied by a court, he is not surrounded by an army as a symbol of power. He is received by humble people, simple folk who have the sense to see something more in Jesus; they have that sense of the faith which says: here is the Saviour. Jesus does not enter the Holy City to receive the honours reserved to earthly kings, to the powerful, to rulers; he enters to be scourged, insulted and abused, as Isaiah foretold in the First Reading (cf. Is 50:6). He enters to receive a crown of thorns, a staff, a purple robe: his kingship becomes an object of derision. He enters to climb Calvary, carrying his burden of wood. And this brings us to the second word: Cross. Jesus enters Jerusalem in order to die on the Cross. And it is precisely here that his kingship shines forth in godly fashion: his royal throne is the wood of the Cross! It reminds me of what Benedict XVI said to the Cardinals: you are princes, but of a king crucified. That is the throne of Jesus. Jesus takes it upon himself… Why the Cross? Because Jesus takes upon himself the evil, the filth, the sin of the world, including the sin of all of us, and he cleanses it, he cleanses it with his blood, with the mercy and the love of God. Let us look around: how many wounds are inflicted upon humanity by evil! Wars, violence, economic conflicts that hit the weakest, greed for money that you can’t take with you and have to leave. When we were small, our grandmother used to say: a shroud has no pocket. Love of power, corruption, divisions, crimes against human life and against creation! And – as each one of us knows and is aware - our personal sins: our failures in love and respect towards God, towards our neighbour and towards the whole of creation. Jesus on the Cross feels the whole weight of the evil, and with the force of God’s love he conquers it, he defeats it with his resurrection. This is the good that Jesus does for us on the throne of the Cross. Christ’s Cross embraced with love never leads to sadness, but to joy, to the joy of having been saved and of doing a little of what he did on the day of his death.

3. Today in this Square, there are many young people: for twenty-eight years Palm Sunday has been World Youth Day! This is our third word: youth! Dear young people, I saw you in the procession as you were coming in; I think of you celebrating around Jesus, waving your olive branches. I think of you crying out his name and expressing your joy at being with him! You have an important part in the celebration of faith! You bring us the joy of faith and you tell us that we must live the faith with a young heart, always: a young heart, even at the age of seventy or eighty. Dear young people! With Christ, the heart never grows old! Yet all of us, all of you know very well that the King whom we follow and who accompanies us is very special: he is a King who loves even to the Cross and who teaches us to serve and to love. And you are not ashamed of his Cross! On the contrary, you embrace it, because you have understood that it is in giving ourselves, in giving ourselves, in emerging from ourselves that we have true joy and that, with his love, God conquered evil. You carry the pilgrim Cross through all the Continents, along the highways of the world! You carry it in response to Jesus’ call: “Go, make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19), which is the theme of World Youth Day this year. You carry it so as to tell everyone that on the Cross Jesus knocked down the wall of enmity that divides people and nations, and he brought reconciliation and peace. Dear friends, I too am setting out on a journey with you, starting today, in the footsteps of Blessed John Paul II and Benedict XVI. We are already close to the next stage of this great pilgrimage of the Cross. I look forward joyfully to next July in Rio de Janeiro! I will see you in that great city in Brazil! Prepare well – prepare spiritually above all – in your communities, so that our gathering in Rio may be a sign of faith for the whole world. Young people must say to the world: to follow Christ is good; to go with Christ is good; the message of Christ is good; emerging from ourselves, to the ends of the earth and of existence, to take Jesus there, is good! Three points, then: joy, Cross, young people.

Let us ask the intercession of the Virgin Mary. She teaches us the joy of meeting Christ, the love with which we must look to the foot of the Cross, the enthusiasm of the young heart with which we must follow him during this Holy Week and throughout our lives. May it be so.

Pope Francis Begins Papacy Pledging to Protect Church

By Cindy Wooden
Source: Catholic News Service
Published: Tuesday, March 19, 2013   

Pope Francis makes his way through the crowd in St. Peter's Square before his inaugural Mass at the Vatican March 19.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis formally began his ministry as bishop of Rome and as pope by pledging to protect the Catholic Church, the dignity of each person and the beauty of creation, just like St. Joseph protected Mary and Jesus.

"To protect creation, to protect every man and every woman, to look upon them with tenderness and love is to open up a horizon of hope," he told between 150,000 and 200,000 people gathered under sunny skies in St. Peter's Square and the nearby streets.

With representatives of other Christian churches and communities, delegations from 132 countries, Jewish and Muslim leaders as well as Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs and Jains present, Pope Francis preached the Gospel, but insisted the values it espouses are essentially human, "involving everyone."

While the rites and rituals of the inauguration of his ministry as pope took place immediately before the Mass, the liturgy itself was a celebration of the feast of St. Joseph, patron of the universal church and "also the name day of my venerable predecessor," Pope Benedict XVI, the former Joseph Ratzinger.

The retired pope was not present at the liturgy, but the crowds applauded enthusiastically when Pope Francis said, "We are close to him with our prayers, full of affection and gratitude."

The new pope stood at a lectern to read his homily, sticking to the text he had prepared in advance. At times his voice was extremely soft and other times it was quite loud; he punctuated with clenched fists his remarks about the strength required to be tender and compassionate to others.

"In the Gospels," he said, "St. Joseph appears as a strong and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart we see great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak, but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love."

"We must not be afraid of goodness, of tenderness," Pope Francis said.

The new pope said exercising the role of protector as St. Joseph did means doing so "discreetly, humbly and silently, but with an unfailing presence and utter fidelity, even when he finds it hard to understand."

The Gospels present St. Joseph as a husband to Mary, "at her side in good times and bad," and as a father who watched over Jesus, worried about him and taught him a trade, the pope said.

St. Joseph responded to his called to be a protector "by being constantly attentive to God, open to the signs of God's presence and receptive to God's plans, and not simply his own," the pope said.

Fidelity to God's word and God's plan for individuals and for all of creation makes the difference, he said, calling on everyone to be sensitive and loving toward those in their care, especially toward children, the aged, the poor and the sick.

"In the end, everything has been entrusted to our protection, and all of us are responsible for it," he said. "Be protectors of God's gifts."

When people fail to respect creation, when they ignore "God's plan inscribed in nature," or when they treat each other with disrespect, he said, "the way is opened to destruction, and hearts are hardened."

"Tragically, in every period of history there are 'Herods' who plot death, wreak havoc and mar the countenance of men and women," he said.

Pope Francis asked the government leaders present and all those with responsibility in the field of economics, politics and social life to stand firm when destruction and death threaten human dignity, human life and the environment. He met with the heads of the government delegations after the Mass.

Caring for others, he said in his homily, must begin with watching over one's own heart, mind and actions, resisting "hatred, envy and pride" and emotions that can tear others down.

Pope Francis told the people he realized his new ministry included "a certain power," but it is the same power Jesus conferred on St. Peter, which was the "power of service" seen in Jesus' charge to St. Peter: "Feed my lambs. Feed my sheep."

"Let us never forget that authentic power is service and that the pope, too, when exercising power, must enter ever more fully into that service which has its radiant culmination on the cross," he said.

"He must be inspired by the lowly, concrete and faithful service which marked St. Joseph and, like him, he must open his arms to protect all of God's people and embrace with tender affection the whole of humanity, especially the poorest, the weakest, the least important," Pope Francis said.

"Only those who serve with love are able to protect," he said.

Catholic News | Pope Francis Begins Papacy Pledging to Protect Church | American Catholic

National Day of Prayer

FYI mark your calendars!

St Patty's Day

Pope Francis' first homily (Full Context)

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated the Missa pro Ecclesiae in the Sistine Chapel on Thursday afternoon. Below, please find Vatican Radio’s translation of the full text of his homily.
************************************
In these three readings I see that there is something in common: it is movement. In the first reading, movement is the journey [itself]; in the second reading, movement is in the up-building of the Church. In the third, in the Gospel, the movement is in [the act of] profession: walking, building, professing.
Walking: the House of Jacob. “O house of Jacob, Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.” This is the first thing God said to Abraham: “Walk in my presence and be blameless.” Walking: our life is a journey and when we stop, there is something wrong. Walking always, in the presence of the Lord, in the light of the Lord, seeking to live with that blamelessness, which God asks of Abraham, in his promise.
Building: to build the Church. There is talk of stones: stones have consistency, but [the stones spoken of are] living stones, stones anointed by the Holy Spirit. Build up the Church, the Bride of Christ, the cornerstone of which is the same Lord. With [every] movement in our lives, let us build!
Third, professing: we can walk as much we want, we can build many things, but if we do not confess Jesus Christ, nothing will avail. We will become a pitiful NGO, but not the Church, the Bride of Christ. When one does not walk, one stalls. When one does not built on solid rocks, what happens? What happens is what happens to children on the beach when they make sandcastles: everything collapses, it is without consistency. When one does not profess Jesus Christ - I recall the phrase of Leon Bloy – “Whoever does not pray to God, prays to the devil.” When one does not profess Jesus Christ, one professes the worldliness of the devil.
Walking, building-constructing, professing: the thing, however, is not so easy, because in walking, in building, in professing, there are sometimes shake-ups - there are movements that are not part of the path: there are movements that pull us back.
This Gospel continues with a special situation. The same Peter who confessed Jesus Christ, says, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. I will follow you, but let us not speak of the Cross. This has nothing to do with it.” He says, “I’ll follow you on other ways, that do not include the Cross.” When we walk without the Cross, when we build without the Cross, and when we profess Christ without the Cross, we are not disciples of the Lord. We are worldly, we are bishops, priests, cardinals, Popes, but not disciples of the Lord.
I would like that all of us, after these days of grace, might have the courage - the courage - to walk in the presence of the Lord, with the Cross of the Lord: to build the Church on the Blood of the Lord, which is shed on the Cross, and to profess the one glory, Christ Crucified. In this way, the Church will go forward.
My hope for all of us is that the Holy Spirit, that the prayer of Our Lady, our Mother, might grant us this grace: to walk, to build, to profess Jesus Christ Crucified. So be it.

-Vatican Radio

Viva il Papa

Hallelujah Hallelujah we have a new Pope. Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now Pope Francis I, is the first Latin American, the first Jesuit and the first Francis in the Chair of St. Peter. My heart leaped for joy upon the announcement of such a humble man, and a man so rich in spiritual passion. His humility, self-denial and love for the cause of God and of man will be an example for all of us to reexamine what is truly important in life. As Pope Francis, he brings a theological brilliance, personal holiness,  and an example of missionary outreach combined with constant concern for unity, and loyalty to the great church we've been given. Our Lord to St. Francis of Assisi: "Francis, Rebuild my Church!" Pope Francis has a lot of work ahead of him but with our prayers and God's help he can bring healing to our church and rebuild our church stronger then ever before. Thanks be to God for our new shepherd, Pope Francis! 

Masquerade Gala

MARCH NEWSLETTER

MARCH NEWSLETTER

From the Coordinator

Good Morning Ladies,

Wow, what a year this is!  The time is flying by.  Here we are, it's already March.  Just two more months and this year of Mothers and Others is over.  However. it is not over yet and we still have incredible speakers to hear and an awesome fundraiser to throw.  I hope all of you will be attending this year's fundraiser in our new beautiful building.  If tickets are purchased before April 10th they are only $75 per couple otherwise they are $50 each.

This month's speaker is Linda Donnelly.  She did such a phenomenal job on her topic of relationships last month we asked her to return this month to finish it.

All board positions have been filled.  We will vote on those in April and install the new board in May.

If there are any questions please feel free to call me.

Davene Franklin.

Clubs

Bible Study:  We are continuing with our study of "Beginning Apologetics". Please join us. Each week is a different subject and we welcome you to listen in. Social time 10:15-10:30. The study starts at 10:30. As always, childcare is provided.

Book Club:   Please, join us April 2^nd  at the Starbucks on Murrieta Hot Springs Road at 7:00 p.m. We will be discussing The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling

Play Group: March 13:  3:00 pm Temecula Valley Strawberry Farms for strawberry picking.  This is later than normal so mom's with older kids can come after school.
March 20:  9:30 am Antelope Hills park off Clinton Keith. 
March 27:  9:30 am Easter Egg Hunt at Firefighters park.  Please bring 10 filled eggs for each child.
April 3:  9:30 am  Temeku Park
April 10:  9:30 am.  Winchester Creek Park (the park by Winco)

Recipe Club:  This month Recipe Club will be meeting on Tuesday, March 19 at 11 am at Georgina's house.  The theme is "5 ingredients or less."  That does not include salt, pepper, oil (the basics).  So make a quick and easy 5 ingredient or less dish, make copies of your recipe and join us.   Does not need to be a main dish.  Can be side dish, salad, or desert.  Please RSVP to j.mitchell123@verizon.net

Scrappers Club: Every Wednesday from 12:00 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Cynthia’s house. For more info call Cynthia
 

Tennis Club: Every Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Cynthia’s house. No Tennis Club on Nov 30. For more info call Cynthia

Wine Club: Wine Club for April will be on Friday April 19, 2013 @ 7 PM.  MaryEllen & Dan Farrar will be hosting it and the theme is "Chardonnay"  For more info call Maryellen  or Maureen Dickinson  Please, RSVP by April 18^th   If you don’t drink white, you can bring something else.

Other News:  If you would like to receive weekly mass missals for your kids, please contact Heidi Jewell by March 15th. Cost is about $17. You will need to pick up a packet monthly.

Rediscover Lent

The Gospel Challenge

JEREMIAH 7:23–28; LUKE 11:14–23

There are many ways to approach reading the Bible. You could, of course, start at Genesis and read your way through to Revelation; millions of people do this every year. The problem with this approach is that the biblical books are not placed in chronological order, and so the bigger picture can be lost. A more appealing way to start might be with the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Don’t just read them once. Read them over and over, fifteen or twenty minutes a day, for a whole year. Allow the life and teachings of Jesus Christ to sink their roots deep into your heart, mind, soul, and life. The teachings of Jesus Christ were radical two thousand years ago, and they are just as radical today. If you doubt that, consider Matthew 5:44: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Before this, what had been the teaching? An “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” (Exodus 21:24).

Unless we are willing to constantly examine the way we live, love, work, think, and speak under the piercing light of the Gospels, we will almost certainly find ourselves gradually adopting a gospel of convenience. A gospel of convenience consists of taking what we find easy and comfortable from the teachings of Jesus and ignoring the rest.

For example, let us consider the teaching “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Since September 11, 2001, have you heard a single prayer in any of our churches for Osama bin Laden or for al Qaeda or for terrorists? Not only that, if your priest stood up at the beginning of Mass next Sunday and announced that he was offering Mass for Osama bin Laden, what sort of reaction do you think he would get? The teachings of Jesus are as radical today as they were when they were first announced. They call us to a way of life that is both more challenging and more rewarding. 

Who is my enemy? Can anything change in how I view him or her in light of Jesus’ command to love my enemy?

-from Rediscover Lent by Matthew Kelly